The present invention generally relates to a system and a method for using a list of audio media to create a list of audiovisual media. More specifically, a user of a computing device may create, may access, may edit and/or may use a list of audio media objects, such as, for example, an audio playlist. Then, the user may request generation of a list of audiovisual media objects which correspond to the audio media objects in the list of audio media objects.
A user of modern digital media may discover and may consume digital media content in many different ways and on many different devices. For example, the user may discover and may play music files or streams using an online music service or a music sharing web site. As another example, the user may browse and may play music from a locally stored library of music files using a software music player executed by a personal computer or using a networked playback device, such as a DLNA-compatible stereo device. As yet another example, the user may play digital music files or streams using a mobile device, such as a mobile phone or a dedicated digital music player device. Each of these music playback scenarios has a corresponding scenario for playback of audiovisual content. For example, digital video files and streams may be discovered, may be accessed and may be played using an online video service, a video sharing website, a PC or mobile device equipped with multimedia playback software, or a networked video rendering device, such as a DLNA-compatible television.
For both audio media and audiovisual media, the available solutions often allow the user to organize media objects into lists of media objects. Such lists are called “playlists.” A user may create, edit, store, and manage a playlist which references audio media objects or video media objects. Then, the user may play the playlist as a composite object to allow the audio media objects or the video media objects to be played in sequence on an appropriate audio or video rendering device. The rendering device or a separate control device typically allows the user to control the rendering of the playlist. For example, the user may skip forward to the next media object in the playlist, may skip backward to the previous media object in the playlist, or may generate a randomly shuffled order of playback of the media objects in the playlist. As a result, the user may organize favorite media objects into playlists and may use the playlists to play back the media objects in useful ways.
Audio playlists are typically created, edited, and used in the context of a library, a source, and/or a collection of digital audio media objects. For example, a software music player on a personal computer (“PC”) may allow a user to create, edit and use an audio playlist based on a library of locally stored music files. For example, the music files may have been previously “ripped” from compact discs or previously downloaded from an online music service. In this example, the existence, the accessibility and/or the use of the playlist may be restricted to the software music player which creates and/or manages the playlist. Alternatively, the software music player may enable the playlist to be exported, stored and/or used outside of the software music player. For example, the playlist may be saved as a playlist file in a well-known format. The saved playlist may be used by other software applications on the PC or may be transferred to and/or used by devices other than the PC.
As another example, an online music site may allow a user to create, edit and use an audio playlist based on the streamable music tracks available through the online music site. The resulting playlist may be managed and/or used with tools provided by the online music site. For example, the tools to create, edit, manage and play the playlist and its associated audio media objects may be embedded in a web page using a scripting language such as Java, Javascript, ECMAscript, or Flash. The existence, accessibility, and/or use of the playlist may be restricted to the online music site and/or the tools provided by the online music site. For example, the online music site may not provide any way for the user to create a portable playlist file which may then be used outside of the online music site. Online music sites typically have such restrictions because use of the provided music content may be limited to the music site due to copyright issues. Playlist.com (www.playlist.com) and Myspace Music (www.myspace.com/music) are two online music services which allow users to create, edit, and use audio playlists based on audio media, mainly music files, available through these services.
In a similar fashion, a software media player may allow a user to create, edit, and use a video playlist. The software media player may allow a user to discover, browse, identify and/or select audiovisual media objects, such as available video files or streams. The software media player may allow the user to include audiovisual media objects in a playlist, and the playlist may then be used to access and/or play back the audiovisual media objects in useful ways. Further, the software media player may allow the user to save, store and/or export the playlist. As a result, the playlist may be used with other software, exported to other devices, or used to share the list of media objects with other users.
Similarly, an online video service may allow a user to create, edit and use a video playlist within the online video service. The online video service may be a news site, a sports site, an educational site, a video sharing site, a social networking site and/or the like. The playlist may be restricted to the online video service. For example, the playlist may be restricted to only reference video media objects available from the online video service. The online video service may not allow the playlist to be exported or shared outside of the online video service. Even so, the online video service may allow the playlist to be shared between users of the online video service.
YouTube (domain at www.youtube.com; trademark of Google Inc.) is an example of a video sharing service which allows users to create video playlists based on the video content available through the service. YouTube also allows users to share the video playlists with other users of the service. Vevo (domain at www.vevo.com; trademark of Polygram Holding, Inc.) is another online video service which allows users to construct playlists from music video content available on the service. Vevo allows users to share their playlists with other users and to access “celebrity” music video playlists which are featured playlists which focus on and/or are provided by a celebrity, such as a popular music artist.
When media software or a media service allows playlists to be saved or exported, a well-known playlist format is typically used. The format may be a binary format, a text format, an XML format and/or the like. For example, the well-known “M3U” playlist format is text-based, and allows media objects to be referenced by an absolute path within a file system, by a relative path within a file system, or by a resource location, such as an HTTP URL. As another example, the Windows Media Player playlist format, also known as “WPL” format, is an XML-based format for defining a playlist.
A user may create, may edit and may use an audio playlist in a software music client or through an online music service. However, the resulting audio playlist is only usable for playing the listed audio media objects. Available audiovisual media objects may correspond to some or all of the audio media objects referenced by the audio playlist. For example, fan videos, informational videos, or professionally produced music videos may correspond to digital music tracks referenced by the audio playlist. The corresponding audiovisual media objects may be available locally or may be available in one or more remote databases accessible to the software music client, the online music service, and/or the user's computing device. The user may prefer viewing of the corresponding audiovisual media objects to merely listening to the audio media objects. However, the user currently has no way to use the audio playlist to discover, access, obtain or use the corresponding audiovisual media objects.